Darts icon Phil Taylor revealed he is battling against the effects of arthritis.
The 16-time world champion is still competing on the oche in the senior competitions. He recently announced he would be stepping away from the sport after the World Senior Darts tour at the end of the year.
Taylor, 63, is disappointed about his recent performances over the last couple of years. But things have become even more difficult for the Stoke-on-Trent native, as he is competing while enduring the painful effects of the condition, which affect the joints and connective tissues around the body.
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In an interview with Online Darts, Taylor said: "I'm doing everything that I can, because I have arthritis in my hip. I cannot turn right, so I'm not throwing straight. I don't know why, my darts are going over in the fives.
"I've had to sit and think about it. So, hopefully in the next month I can shed a bit more weight get rid of this pain. It's a nightmare. It's seven days a week and 24 hours a day. Even if you turn over in bed at night, you're in pain."
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Taylor is No7 in the world senior rankings. He is due to face Martin Adams in the first round of the JenningsBet Champion of Champions, which takes place in Blackpool on March 23 and 24.
He comes into the tour having lost to Manfred Bilderl at the World Seniors Championship in February. Soon after his frustrating loss, Taylor said he was playing against the pain as much as he was the German.
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The darts sensation was only 16 when he wowed Alexandra Palace at the World Darts Championship (WDC), despite a final loss to Luke Humphries.
The Nuke will continue playing against seven of the best dart players in the world — Humphries, Michael van Gerwen, Gerwyn Price, Michael Smith, Nathan Aspinall, Rob Cross and Peter Wright — in a mini-tournament in a different city every Thursday until the final in May.
"That match killed my leg, it killed my back, it killed everything," he said soon after leaving the venue. "It's awful when you're up there and you have people cheering you on.
"The crowd came back and were really noisy, the atmosphere was fantastic during my match. It was great to be a part of it. But to lose was terrible. I hated going out like that."
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